Genesis 12:1-17:27
Abram travels from his home to the land of Canaan with his wife Sarai and bother Lot. After settling in Shechem, a famine is upon them, and they travel to Egypt. When they reach Egypt, Abram recognizes Sarai’s beauty and becomes afraid the Egyptians will kill him to take Sarai as their own. To protect her, Abram tells the Egyptians that they are bother and sister. Pharaoh takes Sarai as his wife, Abram receives cattle, gold, and slaves, and a plague is set upon the Pharaoh that he cannot know Sarai. With the plague upon the palace, Pharaoh discovers Sarai is Abram’s wife and sends them all away.
Upon returning to Canaan, a conflict arises between Abram and Lot’s herdsmen. Abram want fighting between them and tells Lot to pick where to settle and Abram will settle near them (If Lot goes Left, Abram will go right. If lot goes right, Abram will go left.) Lot sees the land of Jordan with rivers and chooses that.
G-d appears to Abram and promises him great reward. Abram feels defeated due to this age and childlessness. G-d promised Abram that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Abram makes a sacrifice to G-d.
Abram is gifted Sarai’s handmaid, Hagar, to have a child with. When pregnant, Hagar is disrespectful to Sarai. Sarai is harsh to Hagar and causes her to leave. When she is traveling, an angel of G-d appears to Hagar and tells her to return to Sarai, learn her place, and her son Ishmael’s offspring will be numerous.
G-d appears again to Abram, repeating his covenant. G-d changes his name to Abraham, and changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. G-d introduces his covenant to have the males be circumcised at 8 days old. G-d promises Abraham that he and Sarah will have a son, named Isaac, who will continue the covenant. Immediately, Abraham, Ishmael, and all the males are circumcised.
